America’s currency famously bears the phrase, “E pluribus unum”, one out of many.
Much like the nation it fights to defend, the Convention of States is the collection of many, with one united goal.
As the year draws to a close, we remember the many, the great people of the grassroots who have pledged, in the words of the Founding Fathers, their “lives, liberty, and sacred honor” to the Constitution and the restoration of America.
Here, we highlight just five of the success stories which reflect the progress being made in communities across the country.
- Louisiana- Since the state passed the Convention of States resolution in 2016, the grassroots here have continued to attract fellow citizens to their cause and spread the mission of self-governance throughout their state. They have truly taken the COS values to heart. Each of the team leaders is proactive and influential in their communities, demonstrating Servant Leadership in every area of their lives. Louisiana’s greatest success this last year was in legislative activism, where they were able to educate new legislators in Article V.
- Oregon- This team made quite the comeback this year, quadrupling their number of district captains, all of whom had a nearly 100% activity level throughout the year. As if this wasn’t enough, they held 11 different town hall meetings across the state and launched an Oregon COS presence across all social media platforms. Doubtlessly due to their hard work, they saw a 10% increase in petition signatures. State Director Jackie Burns credits this success to “the hard work and dedication of our team of citizen activists who believe that we have a country worth saving for future generations.”
- Texas- Three headliner events drove Texas’ success this year: first, the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Policy Orientation, at which the Texas COS team was chief sponsor; second, CPAC Dallas, where the team set up a booth and made meaningful relationships among countless young people; and third, the Texas GOP convention, where the team flipped 7 votes in less than 24 hours to keep the pro-COS plank in the party platform. Beyond this, the Texas team has taken their state by storm, driving floats in Fourth of July parades, expanding their TelePatriot team, and holding workshops to educate election workers and officials in key areas. COS Texas continues to inspire with creative solutions to promoting self-government across their state.
- Massachusetts- Massachusetts became the first blue state in the union to pass the COS resolution out of committee! Several months before a hearing date was established before the full state legislature, the General Court, a group of committed volunteers met, organized, and memorized a narrative testimony that explained the history and importance of Article V. 32 COS volunteers in a session before the General Court that lasted three hours. Afterward, the ever-growing COS team sent handwritten notes, letters, and calls to the legislatures thanking them for their time and asking for their support. What a year for Massachusetts!
- West Virginia, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Nebraska– all of which passed the COS resolution in 2022! Not only have grassroots members in these states been dedicated to the cause making slow but steady progress for the past several years, many of them left their jobs early to testify before the state legislature and make their voices heard. These states joined the others, for a total of 19 states, making history on behalf of Article V.
A Convention of States is all about restoring power to We the People. In 2022, the grassroots nation continued to prove itself worthy of a free society, ever willing to lead through service and courageously fighting for the liberty of future generations. COS’s power comes from the passion of the people.
In January of this year, Mark Meckler encouraged COS supporters to “fight like hell in 2022”.
Looking back on a year nearly ended, COS patriots should rest proud this New Years' weekend, their work well done, and recharging for monumental new strides in 2023!
